Steve Moneypenny Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 (edited) So, those who know me, know I hate junk anything, cars, houses and handguns. I have handled these in a gun shop. and besides the terrible ergonomics. Scarry build etc. what are their down falls. how long do they really last. Give me some info I can tell this guy. He wants to buy it for pliking and...... holy crap HOME PROTECTION... I've never shot one honestly, I've handled one and loooked at the parts. and decided it might not be the safest thing so i handed it back to the guy perfectly happy shooting my "descent" handguns. the guy said he doesn't want to spend $600.. but damn. i can't see trusting my bacon to one of those boat anchors. ooh.. and IF you have anything good to say about them. let me know that too. Edited because my Moneypenny can't spell Edited February 18, 2009 by Steve Moneypenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Nesbitt Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 They're ugly. Slider runs CCW classes and he says they almost never run trouble free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirveyr Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I would never tell someone to not get a Hi-Point for "personal protection". Maybe that is all they can afford? I have seen some "unique" firearms at some CPL classes, but the firearm is merely the "tool of last resort". The mindset is what is important. People can always trade-up to get their next gun... Now, back to Hi-Point firearms... I have the 9mm carbine and it ranks up there with some of the best $200 I have ever spent. I have found that there are two types of people in the world...those that don't have have a Hi-Point carbine and think they are a cheap POS and those that own a Hi-Point carbine, know that it is a cheap, but reliably functioning POS, and love it. I love mine. It is a blast to shoot! I have put some nasty ammo through that thing and it just won't quit. I have found mine to be incredibly accurate with whatever I feed it. One defiantly won't be getting any EIC points at Camp Perry with one of these, but they will enjoy shooting one. However, YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Have him buy one and run tons of ammo through it. If it runs it runs. If it doesn't, it's my understanding that Hi-Point has a lifetime guarantee on parts and service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Tell him if he wants one of these for protection he should just buy a 20oz framing hammer. It will be less expensive, more dependable and far more lethal. And if he gets the waffle faced version of the hammer it will leave really cool markings on the bad guy. We have a number of these show up at the range with some newbie behind it wanting to play the game. I have yet to see one run a full mag and most won't run more than two shots in a row without a jam. One guy spent days doing load development and finally came up with a load that would kind of sort of run sometimes. If he really wants an ugly as sin handgun that runs tell him to go buy a Ruger P series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdoyle Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 They fit very nicely in our state certified evidence boxes.....have several in evidence. As a gang officer I see several of these a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loose Brass Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I have not owned one but have had a couple of friends who did. If it's all you can afford I say get one. Like any other gun for the most part they should function fine if maintained and the shooter familiarizes himself with the workings of the pistol. On the downside of the price this pistol is not made to be shot a lot. The more you fire these pistols, the more they will literally start to disintegrate in your hand. Generally after firing a hundred rounds or so take the pistol apart. You will notice piles of shavings inside the gun. The more the pistol is shot, the less of it you will have. Yes Hi-point does have a lifetime guarantee so you will be able to send it back once the wear starts to effect the overall performance. I would not trust my life to this weapon though if it has been shot much. IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moneypenny Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 The guy can afford more he is just cheap. Thanks for the responses so far, keep them coming. What good is a lifetime warranty if you have to spend $50 to send it to the manufacture for a $100 gun. Good call on the ruger P series.. great ugly gun but runs like a champ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofcrfs242 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 That seems to be a favorite amongst our local gang bangers. I always know when they used one because there is almost always at least one loaded round on the ground from them clearing a malfunction. A lot of that may be in the way that they hold it. I have personally shot two of them and neither ran like they should. They are cheap for a reason. If he can afford something better he should. If that is all that he can afford then I guess it would be better than a club or spear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 OK...he doesn't want to spend $600. Half that gets him...something else...with a trade in gun. Heck $349 gets a G22 with nite sights. (Summit's listing on gunbroker) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2osport Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 My dad purchased two of these last year. Never shot them though, because he was using them for adornments on his 2nd ammendment themed golf cart. He wellded the barrels and chamber shut, and drilled holes through the slide/barrel to mount on the front of the golf cart. Not pointed, laying flat like a kind of "coat of arms". When he dissassembled them I was surprised by how junky the internals were. I would be surprised if they ran much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I looked at one a guy had...and it seemed that it used the firing pin for the ejector Last resort...maybe I would choose the framing hammer. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Ellis Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Up front. I have never owned or shot a Hi Point firearm. What I'm relaying is from a gun dealer. -snip- I have the 9mm carbine and it ranks up there with some of the best $200 I have ever spent. My mom n' pop gun store (Houma Auto Parts. Houma, LA) sells a lot of these to those who are after nutria pelts for the bounty. Apparently they run as not one has come back. The owner of the shop tried one out and although it won't win any accuracy competitions it worked and filled a niche in his lineup. Low cost and does the job asked of it. However he will not stock any Hi Point handguns. They don't run. My opinion. If anyone wants a gun for personal protection you have to ask yourself one question. What is my life worth? A $200 Hi Point that chokes in a gunfight is not a tool I would trust my life with. Yeah it may have a lifetime warranty but once the bad guy cuts your head off that warranty is worthless. Get a gun that runs 100%, 100% of the time. Another way to look at it. You're about to jump out of an airplane. It's on fire and the wing just fell off. You're in extreme fear for your life. Do you want a $200 parachute that has very high malfunction rate or would you rather spend a bit more to get something more reliable. Your life depends on your choice. As stated there are great deals on the trade in market. Take a look at the CDNN flyer and get him in something in the $350 range. Wasn't long ago they had S&W 642s at $375. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Murphy Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Guy at the indoor range I work at blew up a .40 cal highpoint carbine. It had 7 squibbed bullets stuck in the bore before it let go. I was impressed. They replaced the gun too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I recall that was the case at the old Shooters Paradise range/pro shop: they stocked the carbines but not the handguns because the handguns were far too inferior to anything else - even in a similar price range used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revchuck Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 FWIW, I've got a copy of Hornady's most recent reloading manual, and they use a High Point for their 9x19 data. Go figure. Steve - Try to talk your cheapa$$ buddy into a police trade-in revolver. He should be able to find one for about $200-$250. Tell him it's a Blues Brothers gun - it's got cop ammo and a cop holster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedale Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 My favorite local P&G usually has one or two in stock. When a customer asks if they are good guns, the answer is "no!". Folks still buy them. They do have a fancy green one there for $169. We have assumed it's from the HiPoint custom shop. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigdawg Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 We laugh at them when they come in the indoor range and almost everyone that has one asks us what to do when the gun jams.. sell it. One guy taking the CCW class had one but had to borrow a rental to shoot in the class. The gun broke before he even got to shoot it.... He bought it at the local gun show and listened to some idiot at the show so to make sure his gun was "in plain site" he put it on the dash of his care. He then made the 1st turn out of the showplace and his shiny new Hi-Point went flying out the window and was run over by a car. He brought it to us and asked if we would send it back to Hi-Point for him. They did replace the gun but I think he was so embarrassed by it he sold it. I hear the carbines are not bad but the pistols are pure junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+16 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 the carbine 9mm or 40 is a mighty fine little carbine, the pistols well I guess you could always throw them at some body, I had one of the 40's for about a week and traded it in, it just would'nt run, I bought it on a whim, OH look a cheap pistol and THAT is what it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 A surplus Smith auto can be had pretty cheap too, ergonomics of a brick but they are quality guns and they run. A surplus Glock is a little more, ergonomics of a brick but they are quality guns and they run. There are a TON of better guns out there for another $100-200. My life is worth more than $129, so you will never see me with a High Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm52 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Plinking and home defense shouldn't be used in the same breath. If he wants to plink advise him to shop for a used Ruger, Taurus, S&W revolver in .22 rimfire; get him signed up for a gun safety course and THEN point him toward a range. For home defense Rem Model 870 are available at nearly every pawn shop & gun show. It sounds as if the new purchaser is in more need of education than a firearm, especially if he is looking at the Gang Banger special of the day. I would not rely on a cheap (note I didn't say inexpensive) tool for any tasks. A Black & Decker drill against a Senco comes to mind. The lifetime warranty is a moot point when you have experienced FTF and the bad guy has a bat, brick, knife etc. Just my 2¢ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn-rgr Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Friends dont let friends run Hi-Points!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Conley Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Friends dont let friends run Hi-Points!!!! This has been a fun read. Chris C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Guy at the indoor range I work at blew up a .40 cal highpoint carbine. It had 7 squibbed bullets stuck in the bore before it let go. I was impressed. They replaced the gun too. I had a buddy that had a similar thing happen to his 9mm carbine, 9 bullets stacked and he finally quit only to find his bore plugged with bullets, they gave him a new gun no questions asked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I have toyed periodically with the idea of doing an article on Hi-Point auto pistols, the thrust of the piece being that if, for some reason, you want or can only afford a very inexpensive handgun, these guns can fill that bill well. I have never fired a .40 Hi-Point. On the other hand, I have fired a 9mm. It worked. Also, recently I went to the range with a guy whose carry gun was a .45 Hi-Point. (Yes, I know.) This guy estimated he had about 1,000 rounds through the gun up til then, and it had never malfed on him. I believe him. Especially since I got to watch him, on the range that night, run about 300 rounds of Black Hills ball through his gun, also without malfunctions. On the other hand, when he switched to hollowpoints he literally couldn't fire a single mag without three or four failues to feed. He had, up til then, run strictly ball through the gun, and that had been his carry load, as well. Which meant, natch, he had to load up his gun with the hollowpoints I'd brought to the range, and leave with the gun loaded that way, "for self-defense." Oy. Personally I would have stuck with the hardball. I was curious what sort of accuracy we could expect from one of these things, so I benched it with the Black Hills ball. Answer, at least from my hands: about 2" at 50 feet, the maximum distance possible on this particular indoor range. Not great, but for $160 or so, certainly decent. That screw adjustable rear sight wasn't exactly a highly refined Bo-Mar, but it struck me as a serviceable, straightforward system that got the job done. I was able to adjust the sight for elevation without a problem. For windage, apparently, adjustment requires a special tool, supplied with the gun, that the owner had not brought to the range with him. So I had to leave the gun hitting about 2" right at 50 feet. If the adjustment tool had been available, there's no doubt in my mind I could have easily brought this gun to POI/POA in short order. At seven yards, running double taps, I found I could put two rounds into the A-zone with splits of about .28 second. Not nearly as fast as I can run a Glock or 1911, but still, like the accuracy, I was surprised at how good it was. Trigger pulls were, again for the price, surprisingly good, a bit heavy but smooth. The grip angle sucked, of course. My first shot of the DT would be centered, the followup way low, but still inside the A-box. Though I didn't care for the grip angle, which caused the gun to point very low for me, the shape of the grip itself was shockingly comfortable. Overall, I was a lot more impressed with this gun than I thought I would be. For the price, and loaded with hardball, I have to say there are lot of guns out there you could be armed with that are less reliable, accurate, and easy to shoot than this one. Of course, I know that if I ever wrote an article saying that I would lose all credibility with people who just "know" Hi-Points are utter pieces of crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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